Waiting Eternally
by Angel1876
Summary: It's been years since he'd very nearly died, only to be saved by a man that was most likely inhuman. Since then, he's waited for the chance to see his beloved daughter again. After an endless cycle of creating dolls as he was told to, his patience was finally gong to pay off. His darling Aya was to come out of the tank...
1. Patience

The soft, constant hum of machinery had nearly lulled the scientist to sleep. Not completely, of course, true rest was something unheard of in this place, this...he wouldn't call it hell. Then again, he hadn't seen that much of it, only this small lab he was allowed. It was never quiet, there was no peace, all he'd known for years was the creation of doll after doll. Pathetic things, they were, human parts that sill lived, severed limbs that twitched and writhed as he stitched them together. Ugly parts that created ugly dolls, things that he'd have once thrown away without another thought were now all he had to use.

Perhaps, then, it was hell... and yet he had Aya. His precious daughter, safe inside the tank. Ogre had given her to him, something to look forward to while he worked. Of course, she'd been young when she'd gone in. Younger than she really should have been, just a little lump of flesh, unrecognizable at the time.

He'd watched her grow up, waited with all the patience he had as the pink wad slowly took shape. The changes where unnoticeable at first, the embryo blurring into an infant, then a young girl. She was lovely as ever, floating, sleeping, filtered with a light shade of green by the liquid surrounding her. Like a siren, sinking beneath the waters surface. Her hair had been left untouched, had grown to the point that it was longer than she was tall.

The glass was cool against his cheek. He sighed, his eyes burning though he'd kept them closed for what seemed like hours. He couldn't even remember what to was like to rest, to fall into unconsciousness and fill his mind with color and unfocused thought. A part of him longed for the soft embrace, but his body would only refuse it. He shouldn't even be alive, humans could only survive so long without sleep. Perhaps this was Ogre's doing as well, though were it a blessing or a curse the doctor really couldn't tell. Always being awake gave him plenty of time to work, but it also forced him to sit and do nothing, aware of every passing second, in those rare moments that came when he'd used all the parts given to him.

At least he had Aya. He couldn't do this without her, creating pitiful excuses for dolls while she watched from the confines of her tiny world. She might not be aware of him, and he could not touch her, but it wouldn't last forever. She'd be out soon, this he'd been promised. She'd be released, and he'd have his darling daughter back, innocence untouched by the outside world. He'd hide away the dolls and their parts, request she have another room to wait in while he stitched the things together. He'd make little flower crowns for her, dress her up, brush her hair, and never have to worry about her becoming like him again.

He heard the turn of the door handle, quickly followed by the sound of shoes on stone. He opened his eyes to meet the crimson gaze looking back at him. "Getting a little impatient, are we, doctor?"

He shook his had, not answering verbally. There was no need to speak anymore. No reason to add to the noise that already filled every moment. If his silence ever bothered the man, it was never brought to his attention. In fact, he smiled lightly, continuing, his voice a smooth contrast to the lifeless drone, "I thought not. You'd wait an eternity for her, wouldn't you?"

He nodded. This seemed to amuse the other, somehow. "I'd not expect anything less from you. Nevertheless, it's time for you to get up. We have the new supply in."

A soft sigh escaped him as he looked away to glance mournfully at Aya. He'd rather stay there, near his daughter, until it was time for her to wake. With slight difficulty, his joints stiffened from kneeling against the tank for hours on end, he stood. Without another word, Ogre opened the door and wheeled in a large container, followed by a second and a third, moans and cries of pain nearly overthrowing the machines.

He gathered the supplies, barely noticing that his caretaker had left the room. He spared another glance at his darling daughter, before falling into the repetitive motions, barely thinking of his task anymore.


	2. Working

He stared unblinking at the sobbing creature, cries broken only with screams of agony, pain brought on by the needle and thread in his hands. It was what appeared to be a human head and upper shoulder, though it was mutilated almost completely beyond recognition. Whatever it was, it didn't form words, didn't beg as others had, though it was louder than most. He was attaching it to the limbless carcass of a skinned animal, close to a deer, though he could see clear canine characteristics, especially in the face. The deer itself didn't make nearly as much of a fuss, though it did look up at him with a decisively mournful gaze. He couldn't blame it, he'd hate to be connected to a loud, weeping thing as well.

Once the head was in place, he went back to the crate, searching for something that would allow it to walk. Many of the scattered parts managed to voice their complaints despite lacking the lungs to do so, something he'd been questioning for years but never felt the need to ask. Sifting through them, he managed to find three legs, though none of them matched. A large cat, he couldn't be sure exactly which. A zebra, and what looked to be a lizard, though it was far to big for any reptile he knew of. He also, after several moments of rummaging, found a large bird claw.

Not pretty, quite the opposite, but these would do. He set to stitching each leg underneath the creature, and when he was done with that, he attached the claw to it's left side. The spasming talons very nearly cut into his arm, though by now he was fairly skilled in handling the more dangerous doll parts. Once he was finished, he stepped away, giving it room. With a sound almost like a growl, it stood, shook itself as if to fling away water from soaked fur. Movement was awkward, considering the three oddly placed limbs, but it was enough. It was too heavy for him to carry, thus he could only nudge at it, a silent command to get off the table. Once it was safely on the floor, near the other finished dolls, he began work on the next one.

The door opened, though he ignored it, focused on his task. The sooner he finished this batch, the sooner he'd be able to spend some time with his sleeping daughter.

"My, you've certainly made some progress, haven't you, doctor? Isn't this one lovely?"

He nodded automatically. He wasn't going to argue. There was no point in telling this man that from the moment he'd taken him to his tiny lab, he hadn't made a single doll worth being called beautiful. He was only doing this for Aya, staying there in a ugly world so he could be reunited with her.

Ogre didn't say anything else for awhile. Minutes, hours, days, the scientist couldn't tell any more. By the time he spoke again, he'd all but forgotten he'd even been standing there.

"She's grown into quite the woman, wouldn't you agree?"

This caught his attention. His movements slowed, his eyes drawn from his current project to focus once more on the tank. He nodded. When she'd gone in, she was much younger than she should have been, but now she was too old. Wasn't she supposed to be a little girl?

It didn't matter, really. Just as long as she was Aya. Innocent, pure Aya. Just as long as she wasn't like him.

"Perhaps it is time she be let out?"

Again, he nodded, a light sensation wrapping around his chest. Ogre laughed, "Eager, are we? Very well. I'll be back in a while. If you're done by then, I'll see what I can do."

Retreating footsteps, the door opened and closed again. With renewed energy, he continued his work.


End file.
